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The Halloween Tree
The Halloween Tree is an animated television special produced by Hanna-Barbera in 1993. It was based on the children's book by Ray Bradbury. Plot The narrator (Ray Bradbury) describes one small town's preparations for Halloween night. Four friends are shown at their respective homes donning costumes excitedly: Jenny as a witch, Ralph as a mummy; Wally as a monster; and Tom as a skeleton. They plan to meet up with their best friend Pip but he doesn't appear. They go to Pip's house and see him being loaded into an ambulance. He has written them a note explaining that he is going to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy and that they should celebrate without him. They feel they cannot start Halloween without him, so they follow the ambulance to visit him at the hospital. Tom suggests a shortcut through the spooky woods: the dark and eerie ravine. They see what looks like a translucent Pip running along the ravine trail, and Tom leads them on, convinced that Pip has designed an elaborate hoax for them. The group races after Pip, who disappears near a towering and darkened mansion. A man named Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud greets them inside. Moundshroud expresses disappointment that none of the children know what their costumes symbolize. He reveals that he is after the ghost of Pip. Pip seeks and steals a pumpkin with his face carved into it from Moundshroud's Halloween Tree of jack-o'-lanterns. Tom begs Moundshroud to let them come with him and help bring back Pip. Moundshroud initially refuses but relents: if they can keep up with him before dawn, then they might be able to retrieve the pumpkin and get Pip back, while also going on a scavenger hunt of sorts to learn about the significance of their costumes and the origins of Halloween. They begin their pursuit of Pip, traveling back in time. First, they travel to Ancient Egypt to learn of the celebration called 'The Feast of the Ghosts'. Following Pip's spirit to a tomb in a pyramid, they learn about the significance of mummification. Ralph finds a weak-spirited Pip and begs him to come back. The group scares away the priests trying to embalm Pip and Pip disappears again. Next, arriving at Stonehenge during the Dark Ages, they witness rituals carried out by Celtic druids and villagers of the old Celtic world. As Moundshroud teaches them, Pip briefly appears as a black cat. They come across a field of straw being harvested and made into brooms and discover a coven of witches chanting and celebrating the new year. Moundshroud helps the children escape a mob of anti-witch villagers by making some of the brooms fly, then knocks Pip off his broom. Jenny catches Pip but is afraid of losing him. He encourages her and then darts away. They follow him to France and arrive at the unfinished Notre Dame Cathedral, learning of the cathedral's use of gargoyles and demons. The children use Moundshroud's magic to finish the cathedral, and Wally climbs to reach a Pip-shaped gargoyle that is holding Pip's pumpkin. He begs Pip to be strong; Pip flees again and the group follows. Finally, in Mexico, they learn about the significance of skeletons during "Día de los Muertos" — the Day of the Dead festival. They look for a very weak Pip in a catacombs. Tom manages to get to Pip and apologizes to him, admitting that he feels guilty for the whole ordeal because he wanted something bad to happen to Pip so Tom could lead the group for once. Pip smiles and forgives him, promising to let him lead anytime he wants. Pip's spirit crumbles into dust and is gone. Moundshroud tells the children they did not make it in time and Pip is now his property. The children offer him a year from the end of each of their lives in exchange for Pip's return. He accepts the deal and gives each of them a piece of a sugar candy skull with Pip's name on it to eat, sealing the bargain. Pip's spirit then revives and he snatches his pumpkin back from Moundshroud and flies out. The group is then immediately transported home. The children go to Pip's house to see if the experience was real, and are delighted to see him back from the hospital. At the mansion, Moundshroud blows out his pumpkin's candle and disappears; the Halloween Tree is assaulted by strong winds, blowing all the pumpkins away — all except for Pip's "pumpkin", which the children rescued by their sacrifice. Category:TV Specials Category:TV Shows Category:Boomerang Category:Boomerang Promos and Commercials Category:Boomerang From Cartoon Network